Hugh Jackman recently responded to a question regarding a sequel to ‘The Greatest Showman 2’ with a joke about sequels. The ‘Wolverine’ star is no stranger to musicals on both stage and screen. He has starred in such Broadway productions as Carousel, The Boy from Oz, and The Music Man, as well as musical feature films like Happy Feet and Les Misérables. The Greatest Showman is inspired by the life of P.T. Barnum (Jackman), a circus magnate who created the world-famous Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Although the film was met with mixed reviews by critics, The Greatest Showman was well-received by audiences with the movie currently sitting at an 86% audience rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The film's soundtrack proved to be as popular as the film with the album topping the charts in multiple countries and being 2018's best-selling album in both the United States and the UK Due to its popularity, a sequel was in development in 2019 but no further updates of its production have been revealed. The Greatest Showman co-star Michelle Williams, who portrayed Barnum's wife Charity, recently expressed her desire to be cast in a follow-up but did not confirm if the film was currently in the works.
People caught up with Jackman and discussed the possibility of The Greatest Showman 2. When asked if the actor would reprise his role for another musical, Jackman humorously quipped that he is well-known for not participating in any sequels. Jackman then went on to add that he would be open to the idea if they came up with a good idea for The Greatest Showman 2. Read what the star said below.
"Listen, if you know anything about my filmography, you'd know I'm totally against sequels in every shape or form. No more than nine films! I'm always open, if they come up with a good idea. Yeah, I'm open!"
Although Jackman's sarcasm is obvious, the actor was referencing his well-documented history of sequel films, specifically the X-Men franchise. In 2000, Jackman took the role of the Marvel Comics mutant hero Wolverine in the film X-Men. He subsequently appeared in the following eight films of the franchise in either a starring or cameo role, last appearing in 2017's Logan, setting a Guinness World Record for longest career as a live-action Marvel character. However, that record was broken by Tobey MacGuire, Willem Dafoe, and J.K. Simmons with their return to their Spider-Man roles in Spider-Man: No Way Home. -Collider